A Merry Gift Guide for Christmas 2024: Small Businesses to Support & DIY Ideas

It’s almost that time of the year again; CHRISTMAS! For us, it’s one of our favourite holidays in the year and we’re always excited to bring home some great goodies and gifts. Like every year, we’re always looking to have a sustainable approach to Christmas shopping which means, buying thoughtful gifts from businesses that align with our values, buying secondhand or even dive into a DIY-project as a gift. 

This blog is full of businesses that made for popular gifts and tips on how to give sustainable gifts during Christmas. So let’s dive right in!

Sustainable Christmas Gifts Tip 1:  Shop secondhand gifts

This is especially a tip if you’re looking for a Christmas gift for a child or baby. Often the toys they play with or the clothes they wear don’t last longer than around a year. The result? A pile of unused tools lying around houses and being uploaded on secondhand platforms. Make sure to check platforms like Marktplaats, eBay and  Vinted, as it’s full of great toys at a bargain! 

Sustainable Christmas Presents Tip 2: Shop from brands that match your values

If the most recent US election result showed us anything it’s that money equals power. Let’s make sure more money ends up with people who are looking to create a more fair, ethical and sustainable world instead. Need some tips? Of course, we got you:

For him: 

• Rove - Comfy accessories knitted in the UK
• Neem London - High-quality menswear made from sustainable materials
• Silverstick - Everyday wear made from certified materials 
• Votch - Sustainable watches

For her:

• Alohas - Spanish brand making the coolest shoes (and clothes!)
• Solitude the Label - Beautifully crafted jewellery and accessories
• Julahas - Capes made from high-quality materials
• Sostter - Their bags make up a significant percentage of our wishlists

For them/both:

• Teym - Premium basics in a range of beautiful colours
• Pitod - Joyful fashion with a message
• Kings of Indigo - Dutch brand with impeccable style
• Souleway - Bags made to last

For kids:

• Snurk - PJ's and homewear with the cutest prints
• Glow - Multi-brand webshop selling a range of kids brands 
• Project Três - Zero-waste toys

For home:

• Yumeko - Our favourite bedding, só soft
• AmourLinen - We like their clothing collections as well, but they have such a good homewear collection too!
• Julia Otilia - Besides their stunning jewellery, they make AMAZING furniture

For skincare:

• Skin Matter - Multi-brand shop selling a range of small beauty brands with great stories
• Food for Skin - Skincarebrand creating creams and lotions from leftover material from the food industry  
• SMPL - Say bye to your nine step skincare routine; SMPL makes skincare (you guessed it) simple!

Sustainable Christmas Gifts Idea Tip 3: DIY

You can find tons of inspiration online to create your own sustainable Christmas gift at home. This extensive list of DIY-ideas will give you plenty of projects.

One of our personal favourites? The little DIY-stuffed animal for kids made from an old glove.

The best thing? You’re repurposing something (checkbox for sustainability) and it looks so fun!  

 It is super simple:

1. Sew the bottom of the glove closed (including the thumb) and leave a hole in the middle so that you can turn it inside out after sewing it.
2. Fill it with the stuffing of a pillow and sew on eyes and a mouth. 
3. Done!

We wish you happy holidays and thank you SO SO much for your support in the past year. It's been a ride and we're so happy to have so many great people like you supporting this mission. Tips or feedback? You know where to find us!